Wind
by Blood Doctor
Summary: TachibanaXHiiragi. They both fail to confess their feelings together. Hiiragi moves to Koutai and stays there for two months and has returned to speak to Tachibana. After two months the two boys meet, but are unable to hide their feelings for one another.
1. The Ramen Stall

Hitonari Hiiragi – The Ramen Stall 

It was a cold winter's night and the bitter cold wind pierced my cheek. I leant against the wooden pillars that stood at the top of the hill, looking down on the street lights that were vibrantly lit in the city below. The city glowed and the white blanket that lay over it became thicker. The sky was filled with stars and glowed like a sequences in the night. I rubbed my hands together to keep them warm. Rushing out of the house, I'd forgotten my gloves and they were going numb in the cold. I put my hands in my jacket pocket and began walking towards the city.

Many people were gathering around the street and I just managed to reach the ramen stall to grab a cup of warm sake and wait inside for a while. It had been almost two months since I left Kouzu and it hadn't been a restful two months. The urge to reach higher places kept me going throughout training, but recently I felt my stamina failing me and a pain in my chest building up as we played for several hours non-stop at the training ground. I haven't seen Tachibana since the game we played soon after I had transferred to the week-based training session which got promoted to become official. Life is not a game for me, the game is my life and he didn't seem to understand the weight I was lifting on my shoulder due to the pressure from both my brother and father, but somehow I can't help but feel incomplete as if something is missing in my life and I'd never felt it before back at Kouzu and it made me almost regretful. Maybe I do need him.

"Oi! Baka" I felt a sudden pain in my head and I turned around "I looked for you everywhere and you were sitting in the ramen stall out of all places!" He was holding a newspaper in his palms and I figured he hit me on the head with it and it made me somewhat annoyed that he did it.

"Shut up idiot," I said with a smile creeping along my face. He was wearing his white woolly hat again, the ones that cover your ears, and he looked at me with his inquisitive expression. He dragged a stool up close beside mine and sat down, opening up the newspaper that was rolled up in his hands.

"Oi! Obaa-chan! Get me ramen and add a few pork chops. Oh and chuck in some eggs while you're at it." He looked at me, that stubborn look on his face and started reading his newspaper. I looked down at my sake, now cold. He shoved the paper under my arm and pointed at a picture that was my brother. Slightly annoyed I pushed the newspaper away from me and walked out the shop, but hesitated for a moment.

"I've already read it."


	2. Empty Kouzu Beach

Akane Tachibana – Empty Kouzu Beach 

I knew mentioning his brother would have made him irritated, but I thought that his third successful world cup would interest him. It certainly seemed to intrigue me. After all Hiiragi did leave Kouzu with the intentions of surpassing his brother. I expected him to at least be more pleasant with me as I hadn't seen him in almost two months, yet he was the same moody idiot he always was, but that's what I like about him in some ways. I ran out of the ramen stall in time to catch up with him.

"Oi Baka!" I yelled after him. It was bitter cold and the streets were crowded.

"Nee-chan, your ramen is ready!" The old woman called out. I had completely forgotten I had ordered the ramen and that idiot had to walk out on me. I popped back into the store.

"Forget it, keep the change!" She looked at me with a startled expression and took the three hundred yen that was left on the table.

The streets were crammed with people at the fair and I lost sight of him, even with his white hair that would stand out miles away. Hiiragi had always hated crowded places and tried to avoid them as much as possible as he felt claustrophobic most of the time. The only place that remains empty at this time of the year is….the beach!

I pushed past a line of people queuing up to get their children dog shaped balloons with Kouzu printed along the bottom. I grabbed a balloon while throwing a few coins into the ladies money collector as I ran past. I managed to cram past the hoards of people at the fair and reached the stone staircase where I saw him sit, his hand on his chin and eyes on the subtle waves that glistened in the moonlight.

"Oi! Baka! Why did you just walk out for, I didn't get to eat my ramen thanks to you." His peaceful expression turned to one of annoyance as he gave me a piercing glance. Not seeming to take any notice of my confounded expression turned his head back to look at the sea and spoke.

"No one asked you to follow me."

I walked up and sat next to him, looking at him irritated, but he continued to look at the sea, the shine reflecting in his eyes.

"I haven't seen you in two months," I looked at him waiting for a reply that never was, so I continued to speak "you don't have to be so cold you know. Baka, you're just doing that on purpose. I thought you'd be interested in the page about your brother." He turned and looked at me, this time his expression was blank. He got up, shaking the fallen snow off his jacket and put his hands in his pocket.

"It's getting cold; I'm going back to my apartment." I took it as an indirect invitation and walked beside him. He didn't look up from the floor and seemed to examine the footprints he made on the clean sheet of snow. The silence made me feel awkward, but analysing his intrigued face made me think twice about interrupting is so called "observation". The sky was filled with stars shining like diamonds in the night.


	3. The Lost Appartment Keys

Hitonari Hiiragi – The Lost Apartment Keys

"Fuck" I was frantically searching for my apartment keys which I was most certain that I'd taken when I left the door. Unfortunately I must have been mistaken as I couldn't find it anywhere and tracing back my memory I can't have left it back at the stall or the beach. I turned to face him and to all the commotion I only received the same stubborn expression on his face.

"What ya looking for idiot, you're sweating like a pig." I gave him a piercing stare out of pure annoyance. If he had lost his house keys I'm sure he'd be panicking too. It seemed to have had a slight effect as he suddenly fell silent. His eyes began to ponder around the city, almost trying to break eye contact. I looked at him for a while. He almost looked like a child standing there, chewing the polystyrene cup in his mouth and holding a red balloon with Kouzu imprinted on it, the ones they were selling at the fair. I hadn't noticed he'd bought one until now. I took a glimpse of 'Akane Special' hanging out of his bag and smiled. I remembered that day so vividly and I had enjoyed it as awkward as it was. I searched all my pockets and started undressing. I noticed his somewhat confused expression to why I was taking my jacket and shirt off in this kind of weather.

"Shit." I turned round and he looked at me.

"You lost something?"

"Isn't it a bit obvious?"

"Why would it be?"

"Why else do you think I am standing outside my house without going in?"

"You lost your keys?"

"I'm not gonna say anything" I put my shirt and jacket back on which were completely soaked as I had dumped it onto the snow.

"Just did." I gave him a glare of pure annoyance and began to speak to take my mind of beating the daylights out of him. He took his jacket off and wrapped it around my bare body. "You're gonna catch a real bad cold putting that on. It completely soaked. You're really are an idiot aren't you?" I looked at him in admiration. He wasn't so bad sometimes.

"Thanks for the reassurance…"

"You're welcome." He said, a smile creeping along his face. I returned the smile and we had a moment of silence as we just stared at each other.

"Well…I err…, dad's probably got a spare key anyway so I urm –

"Mum's out for the weekend. You can come round if you want." I looked at him with uncertainty. I wasn't used to staying round anyone's houses and I'd prefer to be on my own most of the time. To be sincere, I was close to refusing the offer as it had been made by Tachibana. It was unusual for him to make such a polite and helpful statement. My dad's house was somewhat a mile away and the weather wasn't promising. Besides, I hadn't seen my dad since the Hayamazaki match against Kouzu which seemed almost years ago, yet only five months had passed since that match. I'd seen my brother a couple of times as he was usually waiting outside my apartment persuading me to return to Hayamazaki after they had found out that I had gone to the training match. I was intending to go back to Kouzu after the week had passed had Tachibana had not talked to me as if I were some mere child.

"You want to come or not?" He looked at me once more, his face showed a sign of irritation. I presumed he was growing impatient from waiting outside in the cold. My hands were totally numb that I was unable to feel them anymore and I'd have died from the cold had Tachibana not given me his jacket.

"Thanks for the jacket, Tachibana…" I said turning around in embarrassment.

"That's not what I asked. You coming or not?" He placed his hands on my shoulders looking at me as though trying to get an answer by just examining my face. "I guess remaining silent means a yes then, eh?" I looked at him and I managed to smile a little to give him reassurance.

"Come on" He said, putting my wet clothes in his bag and slinging it over his shoulder.


	4. Replacement

Hitonari Hiiragi – Replacement 

We were walking in silence beside each other. I was examining the snow as usual. I looked at Tachibana concerned. He must be cold. He wasn't wearing much layers, I presumed it was because his jacket was warm so he hadn't need to bother putting on so many layers. It had his scent. He must have been cold as it must have been at least minus one degree Celsius. That idiot is probably pretending not to be cold. He can be a complete moron at times, if not all the time.

"Hiiragi" I stopped and looked at him, my deep grey eyes reflecting in his. "How's Gaku as a replacement?" I had not expected this to have come out of his mouth so suddenly and I couldn't quite think of what to say and I just looked at him. His eyes had ones of determination and I couldn't quite work out what to say.

"I dunno. You're no different."

He suddenly took his bag and slammed it on the floor and ran past me, shoving me on the way as I watch helplessly as he ran into the distance.


	5. Higher Places

Akane Tachibana – Higher Places

He can be such a moron sometimes, but maybe that's what I like about him in someway, but occasionally he can be a total moron and one can't help but be infuriated by him. I was angry when I heard Hiiragi had transferred and I can't deny my anger had changed me. I was close to quitting basketball had I lost the match against him. He was the reason I had started basketball again and he seemed to have filled the missing jigsaw in the huge puzzle of my life. To be perfectly honest, I hadn't stopped thinking about him when he left and I couldn't think straight. We worked well as a team, a two man cell. Maybe Gaku was more serious than I was. Perhaps he was better for Hiiragi.

I suddenly felt something and saw my jacket across his hands around my shoulders. He sat down beside me, but didn't look at me. I was cold, but I Hiiragi would be much colder as he literally had nothing on to keep him warm, but returning the jacket to him somehow made me feel that I'd offend him in some way. I looked at my fingers in embarrassment, fidgeting frantically to distract me.

"I didn't mean what I said earlier." I sat there silently not saying a word. I hadn't known what had come over me. I felt like a total idiot. He took my hands and I couldn't help but look into his deep grey eyes, seeing my reflection in his iris. "Gaku will never replace you. I admit he does have the same style as you, but to be honest, I'd prefer to play alongside you."

"Then why don't you come back?" He looked at me. His eyes and the tip of his nose were going red from the cold and he broke his stare from mine. He didn't have an idea. He did mean what he said. He's a complete idiot. He held my hands tight and I felt like taking them away and running back home. "Is it because I didn't want to go higher places with you?"

There was a long pause. "Because I did, Hiiragi." His grip lightened slightly and I was afraid that he was going to think that I was mocking him, but for what seemed for the first time in my whole life, I was actually serious. He suddenly let go of my hands and was embracing me. My heart was racing and I could feel the warmth of his bare skin against me. I could feel his heart beating and I closed my eyes, not saying a word. What was this feeling? I had never felt like this before. I felt like embracing him and never letting go. I hated it. I had expected Hiiragi to mock me like he usually did as he'd never taken me seriously. Subconsciously, my hands were around him and tears began to fall from my eyes, but it was raining so I wasn't so concerned about Hiiragi seeing my tears.

"Will you come to higher places with me?" he whispered. "Just like you said before our last match had ended." My eyes widened. I remembered that match vividly. I was playing against him. He no longer became my friend, but a rival in that match and I tried my utmost to try and beat him. I had planned to quit basketball after I had played him one-on-one and lost, but I hadn't seemed to realise that he had taken basketball seriously unlike I had done, so having a laid back response to the sport may have hurt him. I'd never take Hiiragi seriously and he's never been 'not serious' about anything he'd done.

"I can't leave Kouzu Hiiragi," His grip lightened around me and I knew he'd been stunned by what I had said. I wasn't so surprised myself as I had been the type to have not wanted to stay in that dump in the first place, but basketball had brought me to him, Kouzu had brought us together. We were able to play together, winning match after match, getting stronger. I did not take winning, loosing, basketball in general seriously at all until I found out he had not been by my side. "Kouzu brought me closer to you; we became friends because of basketball. How can I leave? Isn't that the treasure you said you'd found?" He let go of me and looked towards the frozen river below us at the bottom of the hill.

"I didn't want to leave. The pressure from my brother and father had made me want to achieve more. But I seemed to have lost the treasure I had found anyway." He looked up at the night sky and the stars glistened in his eyes. "It wasn't basketball that was my treasure, Tachibana. It was you and the rest of the team that was my treasure." I turned to look at him in bewilderment. He looked at me and I thought I saw a slight disappointment in his eyes as he stood up. He walked away, but I couldn't help but grasp his hands to prevent him from leaving. He let go of my hand and began to walk in the distance.

"Why did you leave Kouzu then?" I turned around and shouted after him. He paused in his footsteps and it was dead silent again. All that could be heard was the rustling of the leaves that was blowing vigorously in the wind. He stopped and turned around.

"Because that wasn't your treasure, Tachibana."


	6. 31 Fujimori Street

Hitonari Hiiragi – 31 Fujimori Street 

"Hiiragi" He called after me. Something inside felt relieved as I didn't want to leave his side, I wanted to stay with him. I stopped, not knowing what to do. Do I keep walking or do I turn around. My mind wanted to stop and go back to him, but my body was paralysed. I was angry of him to treat me like a child, to not even care about my feelings and to hurt them like they were nothing to him, but had I done just that by calling him a replacement? I slowly turned around and looked at him saddened. "You aren't going back to your dad's are you because…I'd like you…to come round."

My eyes widened and it must have been an obvious reaction as he turned his head and looked at the grass. I was standing there cold and my whole body was completely numb from the cold. I looked up at the sky to clear my mind for a while and took a deep breath. I wasn't in the mood to do anything, but lie down and look at the stars. I didn't expect any of this to happen and to loose my apartment keys. I'd never set foot in Tachibana's house before and suddenly sleeping over just seemed to be a little awkward in my eyes.

"You comin' then, Baka? The least you can do is give me an answer instead of standing there like some retarded idiot." I looked down at his dark eyes. He was back to the old stubborn self again with his stubborn expression was on his face yet again. He was standing, one hand in his pocket holding the string, the balloon floating in the air and the other holding the jacket. "And take this, I don't need it." I took it and put it around me. Had I not been nearly frozen to death, I wouldn't have taken it. I looked at him and smiled.

"I guess that's a yes then, Baka. You can say so." I looked down on the floor, my face flushing in embarrassment. "Or are you deaf too?"

"Come on, let's go." I said. He began to walk, my clothes sticking out of his bag along with Akane Special. I hadn't known he'd still keep those shoes. I looked down on the floor again. Nothing seemed to have bothered me at that moment other than seeing his house for the first time. I didn't know what to expect.

"You gonna stand out there looking like a complete idiot or are you gonna come in?"

"Shut up." I retorted. His house gave a somewhat warm vibe and it didn't seem as awkward as I had expected it to be. To be sincere, it almost felt like home. It was really cosy and I took his jacket of my shoulders and placed them on the rack. Akane was placing my drenched clothes along the radiator and I couldn't help but look and smile. He caught me smiling and looked at me in annoyance.

"What are you smiling at? It's not like it's gonna dry being stuffed in my bag now is it?" He walked into the kitchen and began to open the cupboard doors, searching for something. His shirt was hanging off his shoulder and he slipped on this unusual pair of odd coloured slippers.


End file.
